#BuildWithBooks

[indoscots]

"A book is a dream you hold in your hands." At Indo Scots, we believe that every book opens a door to imagination, curiosity, and learning. This World Book Day, let’s inspire young minds to turn the page and explore a world full of possibilities!

[intheicyairofnight]

In which Kay tags me with questions.

1 - Describe to me your perfect day, complete with the book you would read on said day.

There isn't one way that my day would have to go to be perfect. I could spend a perfect day entirely by myself, or I could also spend a perfect day with one/some/all of my favorite people (like my five closest friends, my boyfriend, my sister, et cetera). Meeting all my tumblr friends would be a pretty perfect day. I know this is really vague. Sorry. But I'd like to do something NEW on a perfect day - see something amazing, read a fantastic book, visit an awesome place - something I've never done before.

As for the book - like I said, it would be something new. There's a very specific feeling (of awe, almost) that I'd want to get from it, though. A book that won't let me stop thinking about it even after I've finished it. Anansi Boys (by Neil Gaiman) was the book I read most recently that had this effect on me.

2- Do you consider yourself a driven person in terms of academics, and why?

I'm fairly driven, yes. Less than I used to be. There was a time where anything less than a straight A report card would have disappointed me. (Like, an A minus was acceptable, but an I-could-do-better situation.)

That was also in middle school, when straight A's were actually possible. Some of that wore off through high school. I also gained some perspective when I graduated, once I realized that my high school GPA didn't matter one ounce after I got into college. I'm still pretty driven to learn/succeed, but I'm not as obsessively focused on the letter grade. (Which is good, because I attend I very academically challenging university and I don't think straight A's would be physically possible.) I'll be disappointed if I know I could/should have done better, but if I try my hardest and pass with a C? That's fine.

3 - What is an unconventional thing that you are passionate about, and what are three conventional things that you like?

Um. Unconventional how...?

I find it really difficult to talk about passion.

I suppose playing the viola is rather unconventional, even if a passion for music isn't. Viola is just an oft-overlooked instrument.

As for the conventional things:

I grew up loving horses, which I think is pretty normal/possibly even stereotypical for young girls, and went on to ride for several years.

Bacon may be well-loved, but that does nothing to diminish its deliciousness.

Pride and Prejudice, okay.

4 - If you were to be allowed to fly anywhere in the world for a month long immersion vacation, where would you go?

I would love to go back to France because I JUST WANT TO BE FLUENT IN FRENCH DANGIT. So, you know, immersion. It's good.

It's definitely not the only place I'd like to go, but... I don't know if I could pick out any of the others. I'M BAD ABOUT FAVORITES.

5 - Adding on to 4, how would you spend your trip? Fast or slow? Beach or Shop?

Obviously it would be fairly slow and not too tourist-y if my goal was to speak a lot of French. (I've also already hit a lot of the MAJOR tourist attractions in France, or at least Paris.) I'd be okay with a few days of fast-paced stuff, but they have to be interspaced with slower days. And I would like to spend some time at a beach and some around town, but again - if language is the goal, I would like to spend time around people.

6 - What are 2 things on your bucket list that you hope to achieve before turning 30?

Err. I've never really hashed out my bucket list. 

I would like to have finished a book by then - as in, edited and rewritten and probably looked into publishing. It would be awesome to have published a novel, but since that is not entirely dependent upon my actions, I don't want to say that it's a goal.

Well... maybe by 30 I'll have some clue what I'm doing with my life?

7 - Of the things in your life right now, give thanks for 3 of them.

I'm very thankful for my health, both physical and mental. (Not just in that I haven't been diagnosed with schizophrenia or anything, but that I have pretty good self-esteem/self-worth/body image/whatever. And I don't take that for granted, or I try not to.)

My boyfriend is too amazing not to be thankful for.

I am really, really, REALLY glad that I'm attending my university.

8 - What is a story idea you have been meaning to write for a while, but haven’t yet?

This cool thing with a cornfield and a grandpa and glassblowing and tiny dragonlike aliens.

It's tentatively titled Shattered.

(Though one-dramatic-word titles are way overused and probably this one has been used before. So maybe not.)

9 - Thinking on life, describe your life and its progression within 20 words.

Well hopefully there is much more life to come than has already gone. But:

Learned to read. Met amazing people. Read. Moved; met amazing people. Read. Went to college; met new amazing people.

My life has been pretty defined by amazing people. Also books. Alternatively:

I've never really figured out who I am, but I think I'm getting closer.

10 - Last but not least, think of the three positive aspects of your body, or personality. List them.

Hands. Just HAVING hands that function. Jeez I love hands. YOU CAN DO SO MUCH WITH HANDS. I value them over my sight.

I tend toward happiness, as a very general rule.

I can't think of anything. Um. Since my preferred hairstyle is "If I have to do anything besides wash and brush it, I will be angry," it's nice that my hair is naturally straight and fine. It falls into place without much effort. (It's really hard to get it to do anything else, but luckily I pretty much never care enough to try to make it do anything else.)

That's a stupid note on which to end, but whatever.

Questions!

Who's the smartest person you know? And explain, please.

What's the most beautiful thing (ANYTHING) you've encountered recently?

Describe some invention/technology that you think really ought to exist.

What's your favorite Disney song? (Why?)

Tell me a fun fact that more people should know.

Can you describe one major way that you/how you present yourself change(s) depending on your company?

If I took you out for ice cream right now, what would you order?

If you were the hero of an adventure story, what major trait in yourself would you have to overcome? (Alternatively: what characteristic do you see in protagonists of adventure stories that you're unsure you share?)

Would you tell me about a time you felt beautiful?

Pet peeve?

Tagging people. Don't feel pressured to do it, but it's an excuse to talk about yourself. ;)

- the-light-is-fading

- somethingofmyself

- mommapteroraptor

- gillyweedknowledge

- amethystashes

- buildwithbooks (I can't figure out if you're regularly on tumblr or not)

- whispers-in-a-dream

- whiteraven93 (are you on tumblr regularly anymore either?)

- if you want to do it again/if I'm allowed to tag you back, Kay, then demonicaldeclines